US 11,794,882 B1Granted

Shock absorption system for an unmanned aerial vehicle

AssigneeSURVICE Engineering Company

InventorsAndrew John Rayner, Mark Thomas Butkiewicz

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Abstract

A shock absorbing system for use when landing an unmanned aerial vehicle uses a rocker arm pivotally attached to each landing leg of the vehicle. A strut bracket is attached to each landing leg below the rocker arm. A damper leg is pivotally attached to the rocker arm on one side of the landing leg attachment and the upper end of a damper-loaded strut is pivotally attached to the rocker arm on an opposing side of the landing leg attachment. The base of the strut is fixedly attached to the strut bracket. As the vehicle, it places a downward force on each landing leg which cause the bracket to slide downward along the damper leg, causing the damper leg to pivot its end of the rocker arm upwardly and thus the strut end downwardly causing the strut to compress against the bias of the damper and thereby dampen the landing. Damper leg pairs can be joined by a skid.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A landing system for an unmanned aerial vehicle, the aerial vehicle having a first landing leg depending downwardly therefrom, the first landing leg having a first landing end, the landing system comprising:

a first damper leg having a first proximal end and a first distal end;
a first strut bracket adapted to be fixedly attached to the first landing leg;
a first rocker arm adapted to be pivotally attached to the first landing leg, the first rocker arm located between the first strut bracket and the unmanned aerial vehicle, and such that the first damper leg slidably passes through the first strut bracket and the first proximal end of the first damper leg is pivotally attached to the first rocker arm;
a first strut having a first body with a first base, the first base fixedly attached to the first strut bracket, the first strut also having a first shaft partially and slidably disposed within the first body, the first strut having a first damper having a first damper end attached to the first body and a second damper end pivotally attached to the first rocker arm;
and
wherein the pivotal attachment of the first rocker arm to the first landing leg is disposed between the pivotal attachment of the first proximal end of the first damper leg to the first rocker arm and the pivotal attachment of the second damper end of the first damper to the first rocker arm.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.